Directed by Neil Marshall
Starring: David Harbour, Milla Jovovich, Ian McShane
Rated R for strong bloody violence and gore throughout, and language
While I was watching Hellboy, I felt nostalgic for the 2004 version with Ron Perlman and Guillermo del Toro as director. When the film was over, I asked myself two questions. Why was not at home watching that version and why was another Hellboy film made without del Toro as director and Perlman as the title character?
Hellboy is a remake or re-imagining of the character based off the comic book. In this third film in the Hellboy series, Hellboy (played by David Harbour) must stop the Nimue, the Blood Queen, (played by Milla Jovovich) who is seeking to destroy mankind. The thing that works best in this film is Harbour as Hellboy. Harbour does have funny one-liners here and there and does well with what he has to work with. Also, Alice (played by Sasha Lane), who is a character who can speak to the dead, is also very well with what she has to work with. But this is as far as the compliments go.
The issue with Hellboy is that it’s just so forgettable and long. The film is a two hours long but it about ten to fifteen minutes could have been cut. In the first act of the film, there is a story arc of Hellboy having to kill three giants with men from a club having to help. This story arc adds nothing to the rest of the story nor is it interesting. The fight sequence with the three giants is filled with bad CGI. Very bad CGI. This is an issue that plagues the entire film as the CGI looks like something that would be found in a PlayStation 2 game cut-scene.
In the film, Hellboy is helped by his father (played by Ian McShane) in the quest to stop the Blood Queen. But McShane’s character plays more of a M, from James Bond, character rather than a father figure. He is just there to tell exposition or give Hellboy details of his next quest. The only way you know Hellboy and McShane’s character are related by the characters actually telling the audience that they are related. For example, one would say “thanks pops” or “hello son” . This is the only way you can tell these two are father and son due to lack chemistry between the characters.
The villain’s motivations are cliche and forgettable. The Blood Queen has been dead for hundreds of years and awakens to destroy the world. It has been done before and its not interesting nor exciting. The last act consisted of the Blood Queen unleashing demons to the streets of London in a gory fashion. When a film presents violence, I usually have no problem with it, unless its done right. This film has violence and gore just to have it, the gimmick of having people ripped apart throughout the film gets boring towards the end.
Hellboy is a bland film that is filled with embarrassing CGI. Harbour is very likable as Hellboy but the rest of the film is just sloppy and messy. The very end of the film presents an idea for a sequel, but I highly doubt that will happen if this is what we got. If there were to be another Hellboy film, then we are better off having Guillermo del Toro back in the director’s chair and Ron Perlman back as Hellboy himself.
1.5/4
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